Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
This week has seen the majority of tube services suspended following strikes following a dispute in pay and a 32-hour working week.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have walked out in the hope of their demands be met, however by Tuesday a union leader announced that industrial relations had “totally collapsed” following plans that the TfL regarding future closures of ticket offices on the Elizabeth line.
TfL have said that the demand for a shorter working week was “unaffordable”, as Claire Mann, TFL’s chief operating officer, was “bitterly disappointed” that the strikes went ahead.
As of 3pm on Tuesday, Oyster and contactless payments were down 23% from the same day last year, while bus boardings went up 9%, journeys on the Overground rose 15% and the Elizabeth Line saw an increased use of 33%.
Cycle hire also surged 73% compared to the same time last week, with 22,805 hires recorded.
Crazy News
A man called Mark Zuckerburg from Indiana has filed a lawsuit against the CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerbug.
The Indiana man is a bankruptcy lawyer and uses a page on Facebook to promote his business, however as per the social media rules it does not allow anyone to impersonate the big boss of the company.
Over $11,000 has been spent to advertise his business, but even when the adverts are removed, he still needs to pay for them.
In his complaint letter, he mentions that this has been an ongoing issue since 2017 and even argues that he has been in the law industry since the social media mogul was just three years old.
Happy News
A man who previously lost his home in a fire has won a raffle for a new cottage.
Daniel Drouin from Alberton has been living apart from his two children – one with a friend and the other with grandparents – while Drouin is with another friend since the fire that ravaged through the property back in July.
The raffle ticket worth $50 was purchased before the fire, reluctant at first but his girlfriend encouraged him to enter the draw.
Speaking of the win, he says: “I thought it might have been a prank call… but it wasn't. After he gave me all the details, he called me back just to make sure I understood it was not a prank. It means a fresh start really, I mean, yeah, and a fresh start for the kids, too, and everybody will be back together”.
The cottage does not come with land, so it’s a decision that will need to be made.
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